Gran Turismo’s GT Academy Produces First Major International Win

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The “Gran Turismo” GT Academy is notable in creating competitive racecar drivers out of hardcore video gamers. While the first GT Academy winner Lucas Ordoñez has had moderate success in his GT4 and LMP career, no GT Academy winner had yet won a major international race. That was until this weekend at the Total 24 Hours of Spa, where GT Academy 2010 winner Jordan Tresson helped his teammates take home the GT4 victory in their Nissan 370Z.

Jordan Tresson and the RJN Motorsport’s victory at the Total 24 Hours of Spa in Belgium not only is the first major international victory for a GT Academy racer, but it’s also the first victory for the Nissan 370Z in the production GT4 class. Along with his teammates Alex Buncombe and Chris Ward, Tresson the team managed to overcome weather conditions and car trouble to win the race.

The Nissan 370Z gained pole position after Buncombe’s hard work during qualifying. Starting in pole position paid off for the team, allowing Buncombe to take the lead in the GT4 class right out of the gate. The 370Z held the lead for the next three hours until damper problems handed the top spot to Lotus.

Buncombe continued to drive consistently throughout the wet track conditions during the dark hours of the race. Nissan Europe’s Chief Marketing Manager for Crossovers and Sports Cars, Darren Cox said, “Al Buncombe did an amazing job. Especially during the night when he was out on slicks in the damp conditions. He took huge chunks out of the Lotus’ lead during that run.”

The RJN Motorsports Nissan lucked out around 8:00 a.m. when the Lotus was forced to retire due to engine issues. The 370Z coasted to the class victory after that, finishing 22nd overall out of 62. The DVB Racing BMW M3 was second in the GT4 class, while the Lotus Sport Italia Lotus Evora and Speed Lover Aston Martin Vantage both retired.